Treaded shoe sole and heel



'Aug. 21, 1945.

A. c. FELLMAN TREADED SHOE SOLE AND HEEL Filed Dec. 18, 1942 i huenarAMA/MM' 61 &LL/AN BY fid n had* n'r-ronvey Patented Aug. 2 1, 1945lUNlTED STATES PATENT -OFFICE TREADED SHOE SOLE AND HEEL Abraham C.Fellnan, Norfolk, -Va. Application December 18, 1`942, Serial No.489,&31

l claim.

My invention relates to shoe soles and heels. Its object is to provide atread which will not slip on a smooth wet surface and is particularlyadapted for use on shoes to be worn aboard ships, the decks of which aremade slippery by water, which is sometimes greasy.

In the accompanying drawing, illustra'ting preferred embodiments of theinvention:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a shoe sole hav ing such a tread;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a tread;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-section on the line 3--3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of a heel having a tread thereon Figs. 5and 6 are respectively fragmentet-y plan views of modified treads.

In Fig. 1, a base S, in the form of a sole, -is provided on the undersurface of its Iorepart with a tread W, underlying the ball of the foot.In Fig. i the base is in the form of a separate heel H, having a treadWl. The base s, Fig. 1, is shown without a heel, but may, of course,have a heel attached to or integral with it, which may be provided witha tread WI shown in Fig. 4. The base is preferably of reclaimed rubber,but it may be of a leather orother suitable material.

The tread comprises a plurality of groups of narrow ribs of vulcanizedgum rubber of a good quality which is soft and pliable It is attached tothe under surface of the base and preterably projects below thatsurface. The ribs of each group form similarly shaped closed concentricgeometric figures.

In the tread W, shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and the tread Wl, shown in Fig.4, there are three such ribs forming concentric circles, in each group,an inner rib a, an intermediate rib b and an outer rib c. The ribs ofeach group form therebetween concentric grooves y and z and the innerrib a forms a small cup x. There are also, in the case of the circularribs, hollows w bounded by the outer ribs of adjacent groups, The treadhas a narrow edge v.

The ribs a, b and c, the edge v and the grooves y and z are preferablyabout %3 of an inch, between 5 and of an inch in depth and the ribs andgrooves are about between 3 and 3 2 of an inch wide.

The tread W is preferably inset into the under surface of the base tosuch distance that it projects below the under surface of the basepreferably about i& of an inch, or between and ot an inch.

When the base, to which the treads are to be applied, is oi a moldablevulcanizable material, such as reclaimed rubber, I may form and attachthe treads in a single operation. I place a flat piece of newunvulcanized gum rubber of suitable dimensions, which is to form thetread W, in the proper location upon the bottom of a mold which hascomplementary projections and indentations for Iorming respectively thegrooves and ribs of the tread. I place the piece of reclaimed rubberwhich is to form the base thereupon. By

applying pressure and heat, as in vulcanizing, the

tread is molded into the shape desired and the parts are pressed andvulcanized together and the tread is inset into the base as shown inFig. 3.

It desired, the tread may be formed as a separate unit, as by moldingand vulcanizing a piece of the gum rubber, which can then be attached tothe base by vulcanizing or by cement The base may have a suitably shapedrecess to receive the tread when the tread is inset. When the tread isseparately formed, it is provided with the back portion m which iscemented or otherwise attached to the base.

In the modified tread W2 of Fig. 5, the ribs and intervening groovesform concentric Squares or rectangles and in the modified tread W3 ofFig. 6, the ribs and grooves form concentric triangles. These modifiedtreads are otherwise the same as the treads W and Wl of Figs. 1 to 4 andmay be made and applied in like manner.

Shoes provided with treaded soles of the invention take a remarkablystrong grip on a wet slippery surface, such as a wet, greasy deck. Thisappears to be due in part to the fact that, when the wearer of the shoesteps on such a surface. the pressure of his weight forces the ribs ofthe tread through the film of moisture, pressing the moisture up intothe grooves 'and cavities in the tread, and compresses the soft andpliable ribs against the comparatively dry surface beneath them.

In contrast to the soft pliable character of the gum rubber of which thetread is made, the ma.- terial of the base portion of the sole or heel,whether of rubber, composition or leather, is comparatively hard andfirm so as to resist deformation by pressure and to hold the stitchessecurey by which it is attached to the shoe upper.

While the strong grip of the treads is the main advantage of the solesand heels of my invention, they have also the advantages of beinginexpensive to make and of requiring only a small amount I claim:

A shoe sole of the character described including a flexible base portionhaving a depression therein and extendin: throughout the major portionthei-ect, and a resilient tread portion secured within and filling saiddepression and being of a substantial uniform thickness throughout so asto extend outwardly beyond the plane oi' the base portion. said treadportion having a non-slipping suriace-engaging face formed to provide arib extending circumierentialy therearound; and a muitipiicity ofindependent surface gripping areas completely filling the space deflnedby said circumferentiaiiy extending rib, each ot said independent areasbeing composed of a series o! spaced concentric ribs, the outernost riboi' each o! said independent areas being disposed in contacting relationwith at least two of the outermost ribs o! the adjacent independentsurface gripping -areas so as to provide a vacuum producing area otsubstantially triangular coniiguration therebetween. whereby to aflord aplanar non-slipping surface gripping tread portion having a plurality ofvacuum producing areas of substantially uniiorm depth and distributionthroughout substantially the entire area oi' said tread portion.

A. C. FELIMAN.

